Love at First Sight Chapter 23 The atmosphere in the front courtyard and the back courtyard was markedly different.

Wen Yueqing had waited nearly half a month before she finally received her playing cards. She examined them and was quite pleased; to have crafted something like this in ancient times was truly remarkable. Though the cards appeared simple, making them was a complex process. The stiff paper alone required considerable effort—it was made by workers who glued layers together, then cut them into uniformly sized rectangles. The designs on the front and back were all hand-painted by artists, one card at a time.

Wen Yueqing wasn't particularly skilled at drawing, so her designs were rather basic. The numbered cards—spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds—were straightforward enough, but starting from the Jack, she struggled. She could only blend a bit of Chinese flair and let the artists improvise. The Jack was depicted as a heavenly guard, the Queen as a celestial princess, the King as an immortal prince, the small Joker as the Queen Mother, and the big Joker as the Jade Emperor. Only by portraying the figures as immortals could she avoid offending the royal family; otherwise, a charge of disrespect could spell disaster for anyone involved. For the card backs, Wen Yueqing specifically requested an image of Jinzi, which she found adorably charming to hold.

From that day forward, whenever she had free time, Wen Yueqing invited the people from the front courtyard to play cards. Tong’er, Kang Qi, Liu Yi, and Liu Jiu quickly learned several ways to play. The other maids and guards watched from the sidelines and picked up quite a few tricks themselves.

So, during breaks, the front courtyard often echoed with calls like:

“Bid for landlord!”

“No doubling!”

“Airplane!”

“Bomb!”

“Straight!”

They played with such enthusiasm every day. Though none of them knew what an airplane or a bomb really were, they understood that four cards of the same number made a bomb, three of a kind could fly, and a sequence of consecutive numbers formed a straight.

Wen Yueqing was skilled at cards, and even Zunyou often couldn’t beat her. Thanks to this deck, Wen Yueqing’s popularity soared, and she quickly became a sensation in the front courtyard. Everyone liked this head maid very much.

Time passed swiftly, and it was already early winter. Lady Li found all sorts of excuses to summon Zunyou; nearly every day, she had him visit her.

Although Zunyou frequently went over, he would only sit for a short while each time, hardly exchanging a few words before leaving. He never spent the night in the rear courtyard.

In contrast, Lady Tian had been visiting more often lately, mainly to chance upon the prince and leave a favorable impression, hoping he might take an interest in her again someday.

She had also been diligently practicing portraiture and was eager to show off her progress to Zunyou, so Lady Tian came by almost daily to chat with Lady Li.

“Oh, look at this—just into winter, and His Highness has already prepared a brazier for you, sister,” Lady Tian remarked upon entering, feeling the warmth.

“Yes, His Highness was worried I’d be cold and even had a new thick quilt made for me. Look, even the lining is the finest silk,” Lady Li eagerly pointed to the quilt on her bed.

“How lovely! His Highness is so attentive; I’m positively envious of you,” Lady Tian teased.

“You’re overthinking it, sister. His Highness is kind to everyone,” Lady Li replied casually.

“Lady Li, you look radiant lately, glowing with health. This child has come at just the right time,” Lady Tian said with a smile.

“Yes, it’s been good. Aside from severe nausea at first, I now eat and sleep well every day. I believe this child is very healthy,” Lady Li said, joyfully touching her belly.

“But you must be careful, sister. The first three months are the most dangerous—my aunt used to say so,” Lady Tian said, holding her handkerchief with concern.

“Yes, I’m being very cautious. Everything I eat, drink, or use is checked by the household physician before I feel at ease,” Lady Li said, clearly valuing the child greatly—her future happiness depended on this pregnancy.

“That’s good. His Highness visits often; I’ve seen him here several times myself. Sister, you are truly blessed,” Lady Tian said, her eyes flashing with envy.

“Indeed, His Highness is very good to me,” Lady Li boasted without realizing it.

“I imagine he must often spend the night here, keeping you company. Alas, I’ve never been so fortunate,” Lady Tian thought to herself—what’s there to be proud of? His Highness only visits for your pregnancy; she knew Zunyou never stayed overnight, and said it deliberately for Lady Li to hear.

“Yes, His Highness comes often,” Lady Li said, but her confidence wavered and she forced herself to add, “He’ll be staying tonight.”

Lady Tian merely nodded, smiling, “Oh… Well, you should prepare yourself, sister. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Take care, Lady Tian,” Lady Li said, taking a sip of water. The more she thought about Lady Tian’s smile, the less comfortable she felt.

Once Lady Tian had gone, Lady Li pondered for a moment and said, “Cui’er, go to the front courtyard and tell them I had nightmares last night and couldn’t sleep well. Ask His Highness to come keep me company tonight.”

“Miss, do you think His Highness will believe that?” Cui’er felt the excuse was rather clumsy.

“Just go and exaggerate it as much as you can—make sure you convince him,” Lady Li insisted, seeing nothing wrong with her plan.

“Yes, Miss,” Cui’er replied. She was sent to invite Zunyou almost every day and felt uneasy about it, but for her mistress, she was willing to do anything.

When Cui’er arrived at the front courtyard, Zunyou had already finished his lunch and was sitting at his desk reading. Wen Yueqing, feeling sleepy, yawned repeatedly nearby. Tired from standing too long, she clamored for a nap, so Zunyou let her return to her own room to rest. Jinzi, the little shadow, seeing Wen Yueqing settle in, yawned too and curled up by the bed.

“Your Highness, my mistress isn’t feeling well—she didn’t sleep well last night,” Cui’er said cautiously.

“Oh? Why didn’t she sleep well?” Zunyou looked up, a book still in his hand.

“She said she had nightmares and has felt groggy all day,” Cui’er replied, her head lowered.

“Go ask the household physician if he can prescribe something to calm her,” Zunyou put the book down, thinking to himself that it was probably just anxiety from pregnancy—a good night’s sleep would solve it.

“Your Highness, my mistress hopes you’ll keep her company tonight, otherwise she’ll remain frightened,” Cui’er dared not meet his eyes.

Now Zunyou understood—it was just an excuse for him to stay the night. Clearly, she wasn’t truly unwell.

He frowned, “Go back and tell Lady Li I am very busy lately. I’ll visit when I can. Let her take some medicine to calm her mind and not let her imagination run wild.”

“But Your Highness, tonight…” Cui’er still clung to her task.

“Go back now; I have business tomorrow and won’t be able to come tonight,” Zunyou waved her away and picked up his book again.

Cui’er dared not press further, and could only reply obediently before leaving.